Sleek Info

Our Sites

Follow Us

10 Must-See Exhibitions at Gallery Weekend 2016

‘Tonight We Make History (P.S. I Can’t Be There)’ (detail), 2016, courtesy the artist and Blain|Southern; photographer Peter Mallet 2016

As gallerists prepare for a weekend of bustling visitors and extended hours at this year’s Berlin Gallery Weekend, the city’s art admirers are meanwhile preparing a plan of attack. More than 50 galleries are participating in this year’s event, meaning there’s no time to waste. Here, we outline the 10 can’t-miss viewings to help you feel a little less overwhelmed.

With an artistic career concentrated on the marriage between text and imagery, the large-scale works shown in this exhibition are heavily influenced by the fall of the Berlin Wall. Miller uses abstract geometrical covers from 1960s and 70s pop psychology books to depict a flip-side narrative that challenges the American Dream’s affirmative slogans.

In his first solo exhibition at Arratia Beer, Ed Fornieles’s show entitled “Die Geist: Flesh Feast” transforms the gallery’s space into a sort of “Diet Bar” through a combination of sculptures, animation, banners and films. On these works, Fornieles says, “I am becoming equipped with weapons such as smart drugs, micro-dosing, therapy and personal training. I am becoming aware that these tools are unevenly accessible to people in different economic and political demographics.”

“Aerocene” focuses on societies’ relation with both the Earth and the Sun. Saraceno combines the theoretical frameworks of art with those from the scientific disciplines of biology and physics to create works that express his utopian visions. It should be noted that many of the exhibition’s works were inspired by spiders and their ability to travel thousands of kilometres by “ballooning.”

With his installation “It’s Spring and the Weather is Great so Let’s Close All Object Matters,” Iraqi-born Hiwa K presents his first ever exhibition in Germany. Additionally, the KOW will also host “The Citizen” by Tobias Zielony. A project that began in the 2015 Venice Biennale, Zielony’s photographs highlight the struggle many Africans face during their migration as refugees in Germany.

Works shown will look at the metaphorical, practical and scientific importance animals have on humans, as well as their impact on our understanding of the world. The artist investigates topics related to animals and their position as polytheistic gods, the discovery of DNA and the gene-editing technology CRISPR, which has enabled scientists to genetically modify animals without using conventional breeding practices.

As St. Agnes’s Garden is open to the public for the first time this year, the space is divided into distinct areas based on vegetation. Sculpture takes center stage with works by Elmgreen & Dragset, Jeppe Hein, Camille Henrot and Michael Sailstorfer.

In an exhibition entitled “Studio,” Wolfgang Tillmans explores the classic trope of the artist studio. Its role as a setting where the artist spends a majority of his time is examined, allowing visitors to interpret its role in Tillmans’s life.